A monthly digest of select dance news and performance impressions, primarily from the regions I cover in Ohio, and parts of Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania.

By Steve Sucato

[NEWS AND NOTES]

Ohio Contemporary Ballet welcomes three new dancers for the 2025-26 season. They are Dallas-native Joseph Dang, who was with Sacramento Ballet, Sophia Gray, who grew up in Cincinnati and recently graduated from The University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, and Diego Miranda-Monsman, also from Dallas, who was with Dallas’ Avant Chamber Ballet. <<

Veteran dancer/choreographer Matthew Roberts has joined Cleveland’s Dancing Wheels Company for the 2025-26 season. The Akron-based dance artist graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in 2013 with a BFA in Dance and Choreography and has danced professionally with numerous dance companies over the past two decades including his own FRTRSS Dance Theatre. <<

Dancer auditions for Cleveland Dance Project’s Season 16 Showcase are being held on August 24, 2025, at Cleveland Dance Project’s studio, 5505 Valley Belt Rd, Suite B, Brooklyn Heights, OH. CDP’s Season 16 Showcase is slated for November 22, 2025, at Berea-Midpark High School, with tech and dress the evenings of November 20 & 21, 2025. Auditions are open to dancers of all levels, ages 18 and above only. Tuition is $125 per piece and covers a full season of weekly rehearsals, two shows, and a $15 per costume fee. CDP also offers competitive Need-Based Talent Scholarships and Minority Scholarships that cover the dancer’s tuition. For more information and to apply, visit clevelanddanceproject.com/s16auditions <<

Dancing Wheels Company & School’s annual Summer Dance Workshop for dancers and movers aged 13 and above will take place from August 4 to 8, 2025, at The Dancing Wheels Company & School Studios, 3030 Euclid Ave., Suite 100, Cleveland, OH. Participants can attend the entire workshop or drop in for open-level technique classes in the morning or improvisation-based classes in the afternoon. Online classes are also available. Technique classes will be led by Dancing Wheels Director of Education Sara Lawrence-Sucato and former company dancer Annette Gaetana Ellis each morning. Certified Dancing Wheels Instructors Morgan Ashley will lead Movement Exploration, and Nicole Kapantas will set choreography in the afternoons. Combinations from classes and the new choreography created will be performed as part of the culminating in-studio performance on August 8, 2025, at 2:00 PM. The in-studio showcase performance is FREE and open to participants, DW friends, and family. Summer Dance Workshop tuition is $300 per participant or $15.00 per drop-in class. For more information and to register, visit dancingwheels.org/professional-training <<

[PERFORMANCE IMPRESSIONS]

Cleveland’s Ohio Contemporary Ballet showcased its new dancer lineup at Firestone Park in Akron, Ohio, on July 25 with a repeat performance of their program, “Honoring Heinz Poll,” from last April at The University of Akron’s EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall. For a group that has only been together with its three new members for less than a month, OCBallet dancers have meshed well as a unit.

Part of the 2025 Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival, the triple-bill of late Ohio Ballet Artistic Director Heinz Poll’s ballets, kicked off with Light Breeze (1984), set to smooth jazz music by David Sanborn. 

Staged by former Ohio Ballet company member Debra Force Canuto, the ballet was imbued with the ease and attitude of musical theater dancing, layered over Poll’s masterfully crafted and challenging ballet choreography. Led by featured couple, Katherine Chang and Isaac Hileman, the ballet exuded joy and was apt summer dance fare. 

Next came Poll’s 1990 work Planes/Configurations, danced to minimalist music by composer Steve Reich. Also staged by Canuto, the ballet is easily the most dated-looking of the nearly dozen Poll ballets (out of nineteen authorized by Poll) remounted in the area since his death in 2006. That was mostly due to its costumes, which appeared to be a cross between 1980s figure skating and jazzercise outfits. 

Likely influenced by the works of other choreographers of that time period, including Laura Dean, who set several works on Ohio Ballet, Planes/Configurations was an exercise in geometry. OCBallet’s eight dancers traveled on and off the stage in linear processions and formed a bevy of interesting geometric movement patterns to Reich’s metronomic music, which sounded a bit like Philip Glass’ music for the 1982 film, Koyaanisqatsi. 

And while Planes/Configurations is an outlier to Poll’s stylistic approach to his other ballets that have been performed in the region the past two decades, it was nonetheless engaging and OCBallet’s dancers performed it well. 

No surprise, the program closed with the most popular of Poll’s ballets, 1996’s Bolero, danced to Maurice Ravel’s famous composition of the same name. 

The ballet has become OCBallet’s signature work, and if you have attended any of the company’s performances past several years, you have seen it (perhaps more than once). The dancers’ eyes closed, thumbs up, masterwork never fails to entertain. Much like Ravel’s score, its gradual building in intensity to a cape-waving, cymbal-crashing crescendo, always brings audiences to their feet. It did so again that night, thanks in part to the noteworthy debut performance of Ryan Nicolas DeAlexandro as the central figure in the ballet. 

DeAlexandro, an Akron native who attended the University of Akron Dance Institute, had his work cut out for him in replacing longtime OCBallet dancer Antonio Morillo in the pivotal role. He met that challenge in a confident and skilled performance filled with toreodor machismo. <<

Inlet Dance Theatre’s 24th (mostly) annual free performance at Cleveland Heights’ Cain Park’s Evans Amphitheater on July 26 was an opportunity for audiences to see the fruits of their educational programming along with the company’s eclectic repertory that blends modern dance techniques with the eye-popping non-traditional partnering of Pilobolus and the dance theater wonder of MOMIX. 

The performance began with two excerpts from company Founder & Executive/Artistic Director, Bill Wade’s Easter Island Memoirs (2012). The first, “Hotu Matua,” saw six of Inlet’s dancers form a diagonal line, center stage, one behind the other, looking and moving like a centipede. The second, “3 (Women),” morphed out of “Hotu Matua,” with the trio of Emma McBride, Lauren Satink, and Bird Thurman forming a tight circle with arms wrapped about each other as they executed weight-sharing, non-traditional partnering that had them at times evoking the image of a human crib mobile. 

Inlet Assistant Artistic Director Joshua Brown’s “Prismatic,” came next. The first of two works created for Inlet’s Summer Dance Intensive students, it was performed to infectiously entertaining music by Beats Antique. A light-hearted romp that showcased what the students had been working on during the summer intensive, the piece featured each of the cast in a brief solo.

The evening’s finest performance came in McBride’s dancing of Wade’s 1993 Alvin Ailey-like solo, “Soon I Will Be Done.” Danced to a Gospel tune by Frankie Knuckles, McBride poured her heart out in the emotional solo about faith and hope in the face of darkness. A company star and one of Northeast Ohio’s finest dance artists, McBride, showed in the solo that she is at the peak of her powers as a performer.   

An audience favorite each summer, Inlet and the SDI students performed a collaborative improvisation to conclude the program’s first half.  

Perhaps the program’s most delightful surprise came in the form of Inlet company dancers Joel K. Linebach and Thurman’s debut work for the company, “Cairn.” A work inspired by human-stacked stone memorials and navigation markers, the duet employed the full arsenal of Inlet’s non-traditional partnering tricks, wowing many in the audience. Perhaps the only criticism of the piece was the pair’s straying often from the work’s stone-stacking theme that they began and ended the work with in order to incorporate as many weight-sharing partnering moves as possible. 

Rounding out Inlet’s varied program were the premiere of Satink’s “When Hope Whispers” and Wade’s “BALListic” (2004).

“When Hope Whispers,” like Brown’s “Prismatic,” showcased what the students had been working on during the summer intensive. The mood of the nicely-crafted piece however, was decidedly more introspective and reflective.  

“BALListic” ended the program on a humorous note as a group of wacky child-like characters rolled about the stage in delight on giant physio balls. <<

First presented in the 1930s and 40s, Opera in the Italian Cultural Garden has made a resurgence of late after long hiatus. The 2025 edition, produced by Joyce Mariani, took place on July 27 at the upper Italian Cultural Garden, part of Cleveland’s Cultural Gardens. The performance featured The Cleveland Opera and guest dancers of Gladisa Gudalupe’s Cleveland Ballet Theatre. 

Inexplicably, this was my first time attending the annual event. With its mix of well-known opera arias, Broadway show tunes, and Italian song favorites, the fabulous outdoor concert is a must-see Northeast Ohio summer event. 

The Cleveland Opera had the lion’s share of performances on the program featuring an impressive line-up of exceptionally talented singers with impressive resumes. Opening the concert was singer Amy Yekel performing “Ebben? Ne andrò lontana” from Alfredo Catalani’s opera La Wally. If Cleveland Opera’s singers were a baseball lineup, Yekel would be their power hitter. Every one of her three solo performances were upper-deck home runs. 

Several more operatic numbers, including Julie Anna Gulenko and J.R. Heckman’s rendition of “I Have Dreamed” from the musical The King and I, and Katie Norchi’s angelic performance of Giacomo Puccini’s “Chi il bel sogno di Doretta” from La Rondine, occurred before the first dance performance featuring Cleveland Ballet Theatre’s Marla Aleyda. Dancing a solo she choreographed, with accompaniment by singer Julie Anna Gulenko performing Pietro Mascagni’s “Ave Maria,” Aleyda, in a flowing costume, channeled her inner Isadora Duncan sweeping side to side a raised leg bent in attitude.

More dance then followed with a marvelous performance of the Pas de Deux from Don Quixote, by guest dancers Sumi Ichikawa and Vincent Van Harris from Columbus’ BalletMet. The pair were brilliant in the pas de deux. Ichikawa’s near-ear-brushing high leg extensions and the pair’s daring overhead lifts helped it standout as the best dance performance of the evening.

After more Puccini songs sung wonderfully by Norchi, Heckman’s smooth performance of the standard, “I’ll be Seeing You,” and Baritone Jason Fuh’s delightfully animated performance of the aria “Nemico della patria” from the opera Andrea Chenier, Claire Von Enck and Devin Alberda, former dance students of Guadalupe, now with New York City Ballet, performed a pas de deux choreographed by Alberda to selections from Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen. Whereas Ichikawa and Harris were in excellent form, Von Enck and Alberda looked as if they had the summer off from dancing. Nonetheless, the pair’s undeniable talent shone through their rust in the pleasing pas de deux. 

Perhaps the best of the program’s many great singing performances came in the lone appearance of soprano Kaitlyn Bourne. She stole the show with her rendition of “Ah fors se lui Sempre Libera” from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La Traviata. Bourne brought drama, flirtatious joy and captivating animated facial expressions to her performance that was spellbinding and earned her a standing ovation.

The program’s final dance selection, choreographed by by Aleyda, brought all of the program’s dancers together. Accompanied by Gulenko and Heckman singing Ennio Morricone’s “E Piu Ti Penso,” the work was a colorful bow on top of the gift that was Opera in the Italian Cultural Garden. <<

[PERFORMANCES TO CHECK OUT IN AUGUST]

Cleveland’s Inlet Dance Theatre presents a retrospective program celebrating the company in the lead up to its 25th Anniversary. The free performances, scheduled for 8:45 p.m. on August 1 & 2, 2025, are part of the 2025 Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival and will take place at Firestone Park in Akron, OH. CLICK HERE to read my preview article. <<

The Greater Niagara Ballet Company presents Swan Lake, one of the most beloved ballets of all time. It is set to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s iconic score for the ballet and tells the enchanting story of Prince Siegfried and Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. 7 p.m., August 1 & 2, 2025. The University of Buffalo’s Center for the Arts’ Drama Theater, 100 Coventry Rd, Buffalo, NY. Tickets are $44.55 and available online and at both UB’s Center for the Arts Box Office and through Ticketmaster. <<

Ohio Contemporary Ballet presents Ballet Under the Stars at 7 p.m. on August 2, 2025, at OCBallet Center, 3558 Lee Rd, Shaker Heights, OH (Map). The last event in OCBallet’s 2025 summer season, the FREE event kicks off with ballet classes for the community, followed by a performance by the company. Although a limited number of chairs will be available, OCBallet recommends bringing your own. For more information and to register for classes, visit https://ocballet.org/stars25/#stars25

Cleveland’s The Movement Project presents SummerWorks 2025, a program featuring new works by the company and guest performances by students from TMP’s 2025 Summer Intensive, as well as Cleveland-based Ajayi Dance. 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., Saturday, August 2, 2025, at The University of Akron’s Sandefur Theatre at Guzzetta Hall, 228 E Buchtel Ave, Akron, OH. Advance tickets are $11-21 and available at themovementproject.ticketspice.com/summerworks-2025 
CLICK HERE to read my preview article. <<

Pittsburgh’s PearlArts Movement & Sound will be collaborating with a stellar group of musicians and dance artists for Inside Out in the Sculpture Court of the Carnegie Museum of Art. Joining PearlArts Movement & Sound will be Drift Terrain featuring Tre Abalos (Flutes), Caleb Smith (Trombone), Josh Malavé (Cello), and Herman “Soy Sos” Pearl (Electronics, Sound Design, and Looping). Also featured will be dancers AJ Libert & Camille-Syn performing a new work by our beloved Sidra Bell. The entire 45-minute cycle will be performed 3 times over the course of the day. Supporting the vibes will be Madame Trio on the decks in between sets. Free, August 2, 2025, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Carnegie Museum of Art, 4400 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA. <<

Internationally celebrated Pilobolus Dance Theatre will present a range of free activities and performances as part of the 2025 Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival, including Creative Movement Workshops open to all ages and mobility levels from August 5-7, 2025; Pilobolus @ Play performances on August 7 at Akron Art Museum, and concert performances August 8 and 9 at Lock 3 Park. Visit akrondancefestival.org for the schedule and locations. <<

Pittsburgh’s fireWALL Dance Theater presents The Envelope, August 8 & 9, 2025. Get ready to walk the red carpet and step into a movie awards show like no other, set entirely to the iconic sounds of the 1980s. Each dance celebrates a different film genre, from explosive action to heartfelt romance, campy horror to laugh-out-loud comedy. And just when you think you know what’s coming…Chaotic interludes erupt between each scene, backstage scandals, dramatic delays, and award show absurdities that keep the night deliciously off-script. 7 p.m., Greer Cabaret Theater,  655 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA. Tickets are $40.71 and available at https://trustarts.org/production/103051/firewall-dance-theater-the-envelope 

Grand Rapids Ballet hosts its fourth annual Summer Dance Festival on August 22 & 23, 2025. The free showcase of artistic diversity highlights talented dance artists from across Michigan. They include: Anishinaabe Dancers with Fire Creek Drum, CPR Dance: Inhale Movement, Currents Dance Theatre, Deos Contemporary Ballet, Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Essence MVMT Collective, Grand Rapids Ballet, Teknique Street Dance, Wellspring/Cori Terry & Dancers, and Western Michigan University. For a full list and performance schedule, visit grballet.org. Also enjoy food trucks, beer, and wine. Bring your own chair so you can sit back and enjoy an evening of performance on GRB’s outdoor stage at Peter Martin Wege Theatre, 341 Ellsworth Avenue SW, Grand Rapids, MI.

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre presents Ballet Under The Stars on Sunday, August 25, 2025, as part of Allegheny County’s 2024 Summer Concert Series. The program will feature the company in George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, the Violin Pas de Deux by former PBT principal dancer Yoshiaki Nakano, Susan Jaffe’s Bolero, and excerpts from Cinderella, Peter Pan, The Nutcracker, The Wizard of Oz, and William Moore’s The Rite of Spring. 7:30 p.m., Hartwood Acres Amphitheater, 4000 Middle Rd, Allison Park, PA. Attendees are invited to arrive early to enjoy picnics, food trucks, and free kids’ stations, including grab-and-go crafts, face painting, balloon art, and a dance class led by PBT team members. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., PBT will host a pre-show Picnic in the Park. Join fellow ballet enthusiasts and PBT’s artistic director, Adam W. McKinney, under the tent for drinks, dinner, and the opportunity to meet PBT artists. Tickets are $100 for adults and $25 for children. Register online or call Associate Director of Development Aziza El Feil at 412-454-9127 for more information. <<